Dispenser



May 22, 1934. o. KAPARlN ET AL.

DISPENSER Filed Oct. 27, 1931 l Ii'llllliillltllllltlldnll I INVENTORG 02-7-0 Km :11?! FRmvK G ATTORNEY Patented May 22, 1934 PATENT FFlG-E DISPENSER Otto Kaparin, Garfield, andFrank G. Bauman, Clifton, 'N. 1]., assignors, by "direct and 'mcsne assignments, to

B-T-A Sanitary Toothpick '1 Claim.

This invention relates to dispensing devices and is particularly adapted to dispense narrow elongated articles, such as t'oothpicks, for example.

The device of our invention is intended toprovide a sanitary holder for toothpicks and todispense the same singly.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device of the character mentioned which is certain in operation.

Other objects of the invention will be appreciated from a reading of the following specification.

The invention will be fully and comprehensive- 1y understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms part of the application, with the understanding, however, that the improvement is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawing nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therefrom as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device of our invention showing a toothpick presented for withdrawal.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the device shown in Fig. 1, this view, as well as Fig. 1, showing the toothpick container in a depressed position; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary central vertical section of the device with the container in the raised or elevated position.

Referring to the drawing for a more detailed description thereof, the circular base 5 of the device supports a pair of opposed tubular standards 6 which are cut away at their inner sides from the points 7 to points adjacent their upper ends to allow for the movement of lugs or projections 8, which are secured to a container 9. The tubular standards 6 carry within themselves cylindrical posts on which the mentioned projections 8 are slidable and by which the same projections are guided. The container 9 is resiliently mounted on helical springs 12 which en- 1 circle the posts 10 and are adapted to raise the container 9 to the position shown in Fig. 3, the upper ends of the spring coils 12 abutting against the mentioned projections 8 and the lower ends of the same abutting against the lower end pori tions of the tubular standards 6. Helical spring coils '15 also'encircle the posts 10, these'coils being disposed above the projections 8 and rest on the same, their upper ends being adapted to come into contact with the heads 6a of the tubular standards 6, as shown in Fig. 3, when the container is elevated by the spring coils 12. The function of the coils 15 will be stated hereinafter.

The container 9, which is adapted to contain a plurality of toothpicks, two of which are shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a conical bottom 9a, the apex of which has an aperture 9b so that the lower end portion of a toothpick may, after sliding on the conical base, enter the same and rest on the upper end of an ejector 16, the upper end of which ejector is positioned in a boss 90, which is slidable on the ejector, being apertured in alignment with the aperture 9b in the conical base of the container. The ejector 16 is mounted on the base 5 of the device and holds a helical spring coil 1'7 which acts as a buffer for the container when the latter is depressed. The upper end of the ejector 16 is dished to receive the lower end of a toothpick and the ejector is adapted to receive only one toothpick at a time and it will be readily realized that a toothpick passes through the aperture 9b of the conical base of the container to be received by the ejector, only when the container 9 is in elevated position, as shown in Fig. 3. Manual depression of the container 9 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 causes the upper portion of a toothpick to pass through the aperture 9d provided at the apex of the removable conical top 9c of the container, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. After withdrawal of a toothpick the container is manually depressed to partially eject another toothpick.

Means are provided for holding the container 9 in a depressed position against the upward action of the spring coils 12 in which position of the container a toothpick is always in readiness for withdrawal. Said means comprises a latch means 20 pivotally mounted at 21 and comprising a finger-receiving portion 22 which, when depressed, is adapted to release a latch 23 from a keeper 24 which depends from and is fixedly secured to the bottom of the container 9, a spring 25 being provided to normally hold the latch 23 in engagement with the keeper. Release of the latch means 20 by depression of the finger piece 2-2 allows the spring coils 12 to push the container upwardly. At the end of the rise of the container, the spring coils 15 abut against the heads of the standards 6, the impact of these coils with the mentioned .heads causes the coils to vibrate and efiect a rebounding of the container through a short distance, the rebounding of the container being efiective to shake up the toothpicks within the same and thereby assure that one of the toothpicks will pass through the aperture 922 of the conical base of the container and into the boss 90 to rest on the upper end of the ejector 16, the present inventors having found that unless the contents of the container are shaken up at the end of the upward stroke of the same, the body of toothpicks will be more or less bound so that there will be a failure of having one of the toothpicks enter into operative relation to the ejector.

Knurled or roughened pieces or portions 2'7, opposed to each other, are provided on the exterior vertical wall of the container 9, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the container may be effectively gripped to be depressed.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

A toothpick dispenser comprising a cylindrical container arranged with its axis vertical and having conical ends to provide a downwardly converging bottom Wall and upwardly converging top wall both of which are provided with openings at the apices of the cones, a fixed ejector entering the opening in the bottom wall,

spaced standards on which the container is slidably mounted, said container being provided with projections on opposite sides through which said standards extend, compression springs in surrounding relation to the standards and bearing on the under ends of the projections, cushioning means in surrounding relation to the standards and seated on top of the projections, and stops at the upper ends of the standards against which the cushioning means engage, whereby the container may be lowered against the pressure of said compression springs and released to bring the cushioning means in engagement with said stops and thus jar the contents of the container to direct the ends of the contained toothpicks toward the ejector which has a seat at its upper end for the reception of the extremity of one toothpick, the container being of a, length to expose the upper end of said toothpick through the opening in the top wall when the container is depressed and a selflocking latch adapted to hold said container in lowermost position, said latch being actuated by vertical movement of the container.

OTTO KAPARIN. FRANK G. BAUMAN. 

